The Prix Maurice de Gheest is a Group 1 flat horse race in France open to thoroughbreds aged three years or older. It is run at Deauville over a distance of 1,300 metres (about 6½ furlongs), and it is scheduled to take place each year in August.
Hippodrome Deauville-La Touques is a race track for thoroughbred horse racing located in Deauville in the Calvados département, in the Normandy région of France. Originally called Hippodrome de la Touques, it was named for the Touques River that separates the city of Deauville from Trouville-sur-Mer. It was constructed in 1862 by Charles Auguste Louis Joseph, duc de Morny, the half brother of Napoleon III.
Freddy Head is a retired champion jockey in Thoroughbred horse racing and currently a horse trainer. Known also as "Freddie", his grandfather was a jockey as was his father Alec Head who also became a successful trainer and owner of Haras du Quesnay near Deauville. Alec Head's horses won The Derby and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe.
Yves Saint-Martin is a retired champion jockey in French Thoroughbred horse racing. He is widely considered one of the greatest riders in French racing history.
Davy Bonilla is a horse racing jockey based in France.
Goldikova was a champion Thoroughbred racemare based in France, although she also raced in the United States and England. She won 14 Group One races, with nine victories over colts and geldings, putting her above Miesque as the only European-trained horse to have won more than 10 Group I races since their introduction in the 1970s. Goldikova is the only horse to have won three Breeders' Cup Mile races. She was ridden by Olivier Peslier in all of her race starts.
Anabaa was an American-bred champion Thoroughbred racehorse who was trained in France during a racing career which lasted from September 1995 to October 1996. Anabaa failed to win until the age of four, but in 1996 he won his first six starts including two Group One races; the July Cup in England and the Prix Maurice de Gheest in France. At the end of the season he was named European Champion Sprinter at the Cartier Racing Awards. He later had a successful career at stud, becoming particularly known as the sire of Goldikova.
Moonlight Cloud is a British–bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse who has won the Prix Maurice de Gheest three times and the Prix du Moulin de Longchamp. In a famous race for the Diamond Jubilee Stakes in 2012, she was beaten a head by the Australian champion Black Caviar in a photo-finish. She is owned by George Strawbridge and trained by Freddy Head.
Sanedtki was an Irish-bred, Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare who was trained in France for most of her career before moving to the United States for her last two races. Although she was capable of competing at the highest level against specialist sprinters, she showed her best form over distances between 1400 metres and 1600 metres.
Lianga was an American-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. Equally adept as a sprinter or as a miler, she won eleven of her twenty-one contests in a racing career which lasted from May 1973 until November 1975. She won her first four races as a two-year-old including the Prix du Bois and the Prix Robert Papin. In the following year she won the Prix Imprudence and Prix Maurice de Gheest. Lianga reached her peak as a four-year-old in 1975 when she recorded victories in the July Cup, Prix Jacques Le Marois, Prix de l'Abbaye and Vernons Sprint Cup and was rated the best older female racehorse in Europe by Timeform, ahead of Allez France and Dahlia. After her retirement from racing she became an influential broodmare whose female-line descendants have included Danehill Dancer and Street Sense.
Dutch Art is a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He was rated the best British two-year-old of 2006, when he was unbeaten in four races including the Norfolk Stakes, Prix Morny and Middle Park Stakes. In the following year he failed to win but finished second in the July Cup and Prix Maurice de Gheest and third in the 2000 Guineas. Since retiring to stud in 2008 he has had considerable success as a breeding stallion.
Diktat is a British Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He spent most of his racing career at distances of around seven furlongs but recorded his two biggest wins when dropped to sprint distances. Unplaced on his only start as a two-year-old in 1997 he showed improved form in 1998, winning his first three races including the Jersey Stakes but missed the second half of the season. He returned as a four-year-old to win four major races from five starts: his victories came in the Shergar Cup Seven Stakes, Criterion Stakes, Prix Maurice de Gheest and the Haydock Sprint Cup. He failed to win in 2000 but finished second in the Yasuda Kinen and third in the Prix du Moulin. He stood as a breeding stallion in England, France, Japan and Spain and sired several important winners including Dream Ahead and Rajeem.
Cherokee Rose was an Irish-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She showed promise as a two-year-old in 1993 when she won one of her three races and finished a very close second in the Group Three Prix du Calvados. She failed to win in an interrupted three-year-old season. She emerged as a top class performer in 1995 when she won the Prix du Palais-Royal, Prix de la Porte Maillot, Prix Maurice de Gheest, and the Haydock Sprint Cup. After her retirement from racing she has considerable success as a dam of winners.
Lavinia Fontana was an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was a durable sprinter who raced in five countries and won nine of her 36 races between April 1991 and November 1995. Competing mainly in minor races early in her career she won once in 1991 and three times in the following year. She was moved up in class as four-year-old and recorded major victories in both the Prix du Petit Couvert in France and the Premio Umbria in Italy. In the following year she showed her best form in autumn, producing a career-best performance to take the Haydock Sprint Cup in England and winning the Premio Chiusura in Italy. She was less successful as a six-year-old, but did add a second win in the Premio Chiusura before being retired from racing. As a broodmare she produced two minor winners from six foals.
African Rose is a British-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and broodmare. She was bred and owned by Khalid Abdullah and trained by Criquette Head-Maarek.
Zieten was an American-bred Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. Trained in France as a juvenile he was unbeaten in four races including the Prix La Flèche, Prix d'Arenberg and Middle Park Stakes. In the following year he took his unbeaten run to five in the Prix de Fontainebleau but was beaten in six subsequent races. As a four-year-old he raced in Japan and England and recorded a final big win in the Challenge Stakes. He was then retired to stud and had some success as a breeding stallion.
Hello Youmzain is a French-bred, British-trained Thoroughbred racehorse. As a two-year-old in 2018 he showed top class form to win two of his three races including the Critérium de Maisons-Laffitte. In the following year he developed into a leading sprinter, winning the Sandy Lane Stakes and running third in the Commonwealth Cup before recording his first Group 1 success in the Haydock Sprint Cup. As a four-year-old in 2020 he won the Diamond Jubilee Stakes and finished second in the Prix Maurice de Gheest.
One Master is a British Thoroughbred racehorse. She did not race until she was a three-year-old when she won two of her three races including the Listed October Stakes. In the following year she was beaten in her first three starts before taking the Group 3 Fairy Bridge Stakes in Ireland and the Group 1 Prix de la Forêt in France. As a five-year-old in 2019 she repeated her victory in the Prix de la Forêt as well as being placed in the Queen Anne Stakes, Falmouth Stakes and British Champions Sprint Stakes. In 2020 she won the Oak Tree Stakes and took the Prix de la Forêt for a record third time.
Space Blues is an Irish-bred Thoroughbred racehorse. After winning his only race as a two-year-old in 2018 he improved in the following year to win the Surrey Stakes and went on to be placed in the Jersey Stakes, Prix Jean Prat and Prix Maurice de Gheest. He was even better as a four-year old in 2020, winning the Spring Trophy, Prix de la Porte Maillot, Lennox Stakes and Prix Maurice de Gheest.
Wooded is an Irish-bred, French-trained Thoroughbred racehorse and sire. He showed promising form as a juvenile in 2019 when he won one minor race and was placed in both the Prix La Rochette and the Prix Thomas Bryon. He won the Prix Texanita on this three-year-old debut but was beaten in his next three starts before recording his biggest win on his final start when he took the Group 1 Prix de l'Abbaye. He was retired from racing at the end of the year.
